Akting Out

I work in a sales-driven call center; whether or not we want to admit it, we’re all ferociously competitive, and during our down time, we like to aggravate the hell out of each other. Today, I was shooting hoops with a couple of people when I got clowned—hard—about my inability to maintain a relationship (let’s call it what it is, shall we?). From what I posted on Facebook, I appeared to fall hard and get dumped rather quickly (again, let’s call it what it is). I wondered where he got his story from; he knew nothing of the five (six?)-year history I had with my ex. He promptly replied; “That’s what you get for putting your life on blast on Facebook.”

Whoa. Talk about an eye-opener. I didn’t even know he read my facebook.
Earlier today, I was following up on a job interview I’d had last week and learned that one of the reasons why he’d been apprehensive about me was because I’d shut down when he asked me about my past. I had mentioned everything he’d find on background report—he had a right to know that—but I very rarely discuss details. As far as I’m concerned, the past begins five years ago when I left Michigan.

Problem is I’m also a writer aiming at bestseller status (or at least worldwide recognition); part of the reason why I don’t blog that much is because nothing really noteworthy happens to me anymore (Thank you GOD!). Sure, I can tell you how I sold five internets today and only one of them will post, or I can rant and rave about how my job drives me crazy, but in an economy where everyone is struggling for work, bitching about your job gets old quick. So I blog about my writing, and what little I can find around there that interests me (which is why you’ve seen so many film and game reviews lately). Hell, I’m just not that interesting anymore, and I enjoy it. I like my nice, normal, boring life.

Despite the considerable amount of time I spend social networking, I’m actually a very private person; for every detail I put on Facebook, there’s a hundred I’m keeping to myself. I do not like a world of people knowing the most intimate details of my life. Hell, I’m barely comfortable with some people knowing my middle name. Things like the past, what I did before I landed in Missouri, those are all but off-limits. I don’t think anyone needs to know that, and to be completely honest, I do worry how people would look at me if they knew everything.

What I encountered today made me wonder if it was just me. It’s not that I have something to hide; I just don’t feel that my past is anyone else’s business unless I choose to share it. Anyone who’s in promotion, or anyone who’s had to turn their lives completely around, how do you deal with it? How do you decide who to tell, what to tell them, and how much?

Thanks for reading.

(c) Avery K. Tingle for Akting Out LLC

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

So you’re new to writing? You probably already know that a lot of your success will be based not just on your writing, but by the number of people who read your writing. That being said, you may already have a twitter account (and if you don’t, go get one before you read any further). Here are the top ten writers you need to be following.

10). @problogger
Darren Rowse may as well have written the book on professional blogging. Anything you want to know from writing compelling material to discovering an audience can be found, either by following his tweetstream or checking out his site, which you can find here.

9). @jchutchins
Famous for his Seventh Son series as well as hilarious one-liners on his Facebook page, Mr. Hutchins found success by turning his novels into a free podcast series. Friendly, funny, and very much a nerd, you may be better off friending him on Facebook than following his tweetstream; he updates Facebook more often, and it’s almost always good for a laugh.

8). @AngsCopywriting
Almost every writer needs to know what SEO is, and very few know more than Angie Nicolychuk. Angie is a professional writer who provides consulting, coaching, and copywriting services for a fee. She’s listed here because she is very friendly, engaging, and willing to pass on what she’s learned. Follow her tweetstream for the occasional article on SEO writing. Check out her web page if you’re interested in what she does. If you’re trying to set your blog apart from the pack, you need to be following her.

7). @lauraeno
Laura is a perfect example as to how one delivers quality fiction on a scheduled basis, thus building up a loyal fan base. Her page, A Shift In Dimensions, boasts nearly two hundred fans, with good reason; Laura’s writing is excellent. Check out her latest entry into her series, Under the Sea, to find out what I’m talking about. Laura also engages all of her followers (provided you have something good to say) and regularly supports the Friday Flash tradition by retweeting the works of others.

Also, her take on the Immortals is a great example of bite-sized, quality writing. All of her stories standalone and the character’s plights are both tragic and lighthearted. A wormhole at the bottom of the sea? You need to be reading this story.

6). @Keikomushi
Dianne is a great example as to what can result from hard work. I first met Keiko through Universal Warrior, and we’ve been friends ever since. Our friendship demonstrates what twitter can do for you when you put something into it; Keiko is a gamer and fantasy author who deftly blends mysticism with the old west. Keiko is also an avid learner and researcher, and truthfully, I wouldn’t be where I am now if it wasn’t for her support. I recommend Keiko because I enjoy her work, she’s very easy to relate to, she’s a geek (and she’s married, sorry). Her interests are varied and she’s very open. Pay attention to her and what she does; you may learn something. Read more about Dianne at Keiko Online.

5). @AlanBaxter
Alan has completed two self-published novels (which I need to get around to reading) and parlayed his success into his own small publishing firm. He’s another example of what you can do when you put your mind on something. I also appreciate Alan’s blunt nature and low tolerance for self-pity; it’s served as a reality check on a couple of occasions. If you’re trying to write action-based fantasy (and I am, which is why I shared), then following Alan is a great start. He also occasionally posts dark Flash Fiction on his blog, with is always worth a look.

4). @Jsubject
Jessica is kind enough to give me #WriterWednesday and #FollowFriday shouts every week, which is what led me to her. Jessica authors the Mark of the Stars series; I share her because her blog features interviews with authors, book recommendations, and reviews.

3). @MeiLinMiranda
MeiLin Miranda is one of the founding mothers of Web Fiction. She brings so many things to the table that it’s difficult to name them all; follow her, and you will learn how to attract a fan base (I believe hers is at 10k and growing), write a story with such depth and breadth that it attracts fan art, create a blog that anyone can read (her entries from life excerpts to recipes) and even do the impossible; make money from your writing. Check out her page here, along with one of the web’s best stories, An Intimate History of the Greater Kingdom.

2). @CPatrickSchultze
Mr. Schultze regularly posts excellent articles on the art of writing, everything from writing convincing dialogue, the importance of setting in a story, and working with agents. His posts are must-reads for anyone trying to turn their writing into a full-time career. Check out his web page for the goods.

1). @thecreativepenn
The lovely Mrs. Joanna Penn easily gets the top-spot. There is not a single writer, published or unpublished, who should not be following her. Through her extensive podcasts, articles, and interviews, Mrs. Penn has dedicated herself to helping writers advance their career, and much of what I’ve learned on being a writer comes from her. If you follow no one else on this list, you need to be following the Creative Penn. You need to be signed up on her web page, you need to be hearing her podcasts, you need to be listening to everything she has to say.

Hope you find this list, which is a fraction of the great writers on twitter, useful. Thanks for reading and best of luck in your endeavors.

(c) Avery K. Tingle for Akting Out LLC

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

I started Universal Warrior: Uprising (Book One) when Chris Tejeda (@ChrisTejeda on Twitter) introduced me to the world of Web Fiction. I was fresh off of Nanowrimo, having completed the 50k words in one month. I had at last found my calling, and was eager to begin work on something else.

Three months, sixteen posts, and sixty-two comments later, Universal Warrior: Uprising celebrated hitting the 1000 mark. At the time of this writing, the site had garnered 1,005 hits, and more people are picking up the story at its beginning every day.

I don’t consider the story a success; rather, I see this as laying the groundwork for my future. I most certainly never expected the story to take off the way it did, and it always makes me grin to see people tuning in every Monday before the story goes live. I enjoy the fact that people enjoy my work.

I will consider the story a success when I am paid to do it. I’ve had people ask me lately how I get paid to blog (which I don’t) and what methods I use to get the story out to the public. So I thought I’d take this time to illustrate the methods of my madness, most of which were loaned to me by someone far more experienced.
Enjoy.

1). Know Your Story.
Universal Warrior has been in my head, in one form or another, for the past twenty years. I know each of the 500+ characters that inhabit this world, I know where they’re going, and I know where everything ends up. Even so, I outline each chapter long before I type the first word. I recommend everyone do this, unless you’re extraordinarily talented. Planning your work in advance is a great way to avoid writer’s block. If you get stuck, refer to your notes. It’s okay if you end up with something far outside of what you planned, but at least you have your plan to fall back on.

2). Get Into Social Networking.
You don’t go cliff jumping without a parachute. You don’t launch your epic without having someone know about it. These days, you should spend almost as much time networking as much as you do writing. What good is it to put all this effort into your hyper-mega epic if absolutely no one was aware of its release?
Never, ever dismiss any social networking site. You never know who’s there, and who might promote your work. If you’re not using twitter, you should be. You should be using Twitter if you’re in any creative field. You should be using Twitter if you get out of bed in the morning. If you’re not on Twitter, stop reading this right now and go sign up. Then check out this site that lists people you might want to start following.
I release Universal Warrior through Twitter, MySpace, Friendfeed, Facebook, and I’m starting to post announcements through Web Fiction Guide, and next week I’ll do the same on Muse’s Success. Get your work out there. It’s better to be hated than unknown; you can always improve.
Okay, now, the flip side to this coin is this; don’t get on these sites and speak only of your work, rambling on aimlessly about how great your stuff is without interacting with anyone else. This is the quickest way to get blocked.
Network. Meet people. Establish genuine connections. Then talk about how great your work is.

3). Keep your Word
Universal Warrior comes out each Monday by 1pm CST, no matter what. I have only missed the 1pm deadline once, and I have never once missed a Monday deadline. I sincerely believe that this is why I’ll have up to ten hits every Monday before the story is released.
Before you even have a story, you have your reputation. Build it and they will come.

In conclusion, I have to say that I spend anywhere from one to three hours churning out words on various projects. You have to be dedicated or your lack of it will show up in your work. I haven’t had a day in weeks where I didn’t put out at least a thousand words (of course, this is because I have no job).

I also have to say that you probably have to be a little lucky. There isn’t a week that goes by that I wonder whether or not I will do irreparable damage to my fledgling fan base. Is it too long? Is this in character? Is this too much backstory? Is this enough action? Not enough action? Is this explained well enough? Am I revealing too much? Is this the story I should be telling?

Welcome to my world.

There are other methods I use, which include:

*Keeping a Thesaurus and two Dictionaries at my desk at all times

*Having a window to stare out of during ADD moments

*Taking a break every hour to read, play, do pushups, or anything not related to the task at hand

*Having appropriate music on at all times

All of this is just what works for me. There is no miracle cure. There is no magic formula that will turn you into the next Stephen King. In the end, you have to find what works for you, and then stick with it. Even more importantly, if you’re finding that your methods don’t work, you need to be open-minded enough to realize that something needs to change.

Ultimately, you decide your own fate.

Thanks for reading, and good luck.

Special thanks to Molly (@bookwormm21) my unflaggingly detail-oriented editor (and girlfriend), MeiLin Miranda (@MeiLinMiranda) for the tutelage, Chris Tejeda (@ChrisTejeda) for introducing me to this world, and Dianne (@keikomushi) for her work advancing in advancing Universal Warrior (and introducing me to podcasting!)

(c) Avery K. Tingle for Akting Out LLC

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

I started Universal Warrior: Uprising (Book One) when Chris Tejeda (@ChrisTejeda on Twitter) introduced me to the world of Web Fiction. I was fresh off of Nanowrimo, having completed the 50k words in one month. I had at last found my calling, and was eager to begin work on something else.

Three months, sixteen posts, and sixty-two comments later, Universal Warrior: Uprising celebrated hitting the 1000 mark. At the time of this writing, the site had garnered 1,005 hits, and more people are picking up the story at its beginning every day.

I don’t consider the story a success; rather, I see this as laying the groundwork for my future. I most certainly never expected the story to take off the way it did, and it always makes me grin to see people tuning in every Monday before the story goes live. I enjoy the fact that people enjoy my work.

I will consider the story a success when I am paid to do it. I’ve had people ask me lately how I get paid to blog (which I don’t) and what methods I use to get the story out to the public. So I thought I’d take this time to illustrate the methods of my madness, most of which were loaned to me by someone far more experienced.
Enjoy.

1). Know Your Story.
Universal Warrior has been in my head, in one form or another, for the past twenty years. I know each of the 500+ characters that inhabit this world, I know where they’re going, and I know where everything ends up. Even so, I outline each chapter long before I type the first word. I recommend everyone do this, unless you’re extraordinarily talented. Planning your work in advance is a great way to avoid writer’s block. If you get stuck, refer to your notes. It’s okay if you end up with something far outside of what you planned, but at least you have your plan to fall back on.

2). Get Into Social Networking.
You don’t go cliff jumping without a parachute. You don’t launch your epic without having someone know about it. These days, you should spend almost as much time networking as much as you do writing. What good is it to put all this effort into your hyper-mega epic if absolutely no one was aware of its release?
Never, ever dismiss any social networking site. You never know who’s there, and who might promote your work. If you’re not using twitter, you should be. You should be using Twitter if you’re in any creative field. You should be using Twitter if you get out of bed in the morning. If you’re not on Twitter, stop reading this right now and go sign up. Then check out this site that lists people you might want to start following.
I release Universal Warrior through Twitter, MySpace, Friendfeed, Facebook, and I’m starting to post announcements through Web Fiction Guide, and next week I’ll do the same on Muse’s Success. Get your work out there. It’s better to be hated than unknown; you can always improve.
Okay, now, the flip side to this coin is this; don’t get on these sites and speak only of your work, rambling on aimlessly about how great your stuff is without interacting with anyone else. This is the quickest way to get blocked.
Network. Meet people. Establish genuine connections. Then talk about how great your work is.

3). Keep your Word
Universal Warrior comes out each Monday by 1pm CST, no matter what. I have only missed the 1pm deadline once, and I have never once missed a Monday deadline. I sincerely believe that this is why I’ll have up to ten hits every Monday before the story is released.
Before you even have a story, you have your reputation. Build it and they will come.

In conclusion, I have to say that I spend anywhere from one to three hours churning out words on various projects. You have to be dedicated or your lack of it will show up in your work. I haven’t had a day in weeks where I didn’t put out at least a thousand words (of course, this is because I have no job).

I also have to say that you probably have to be a little lucky. There isn’t a week that goes by that I wonder whether or not I will do irreparable damage to my fledgling fan base. Is it too long? Is this in character? Is this too much backstory? Is this enough action? Not enough action? Is this explained well enough? Am I revealing too much? Is this the story I should be telling?

Welcome to my world.

There are other methods I use, which include:

*Keeping a Thesaurus and two Dictionaries at my desk at all times

*Having a window to stare out of during ADD moments

*Taking a break every hour to read, play, do pushups, or anything not related to the task at hand

*Having appropriate music on at all times

All of this is just what works for me. There is no miracle cure. There is no magic formula that will turn you into the next Stephen King. In the end, you have to find what works for you, and then stick with it. Even more importantly, if you’re finding that your methods don’t work, you need to be open-minded enough to realize that something needs to change.

Ultimately, you decide your own fate.

Thanks for reading, and good luck.

Special thanks to Molly (@bookwormm21) my unflaggingly detail-oriented editor (and girlfriend), MeiLin Miranda (@MeiLinMiranda) for the tutelage, Chris Tejeda (@ChrisTejeda) for introducing me to this world, and Dianne (@keikomushi) for her work advancing in advancing Universal Warrior (and introducing me to podcasting!)

(c) Avery K. Tingle for Akting Out LLC

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.